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HEALTH AFFAIRS LIBRARY
TWENTY-SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT
OF THE
North Carolina
State Board of Health
JULY 1, 1936—JUNE 30, 1938
MEMBERS OF THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
Elected by the North Carolina Medical Society
S. D. Craig, M.D.
Term expires 1941
G. G. Dixon, M.D.
Term expires 1939
W. T. Rainey, M.D.
Term expires 1941
John LaBruce Ward, M.D.
Term expires 1939
Appointed by the Governor
Hubert B. Haywood, M.D.
Term expires 1941
H. Lee Large, M.D.
Term expires 1939
J. N. Johnson, D.D.S.
Term expires 1941
H. G. Baity, Ph.D.
Term expires 1939
James P. Stowe, Ph.G.
Term expires 1941
1395
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
Raleigh, N. C, September 21, 1938
His Excellency, Clyde R. Hoey,
Governor of North Carolina
My Dear Sir:—Under Authority of Chapter
118, Article 1, Section 7050, Consolidated Statutes
of North Carolina, I have to submit to you for
transmission to the General Assembly the Biennial
Report of the State Board of Health for the period
July 1, 1936 to June 30, 1938.
Yours sincerely,
Carl V. Reynolds,
Secretary and State Health Officer.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
The Chronological Development of Public Health Work in
North Carolina 7
Report of the Secretary-Treasurer and State Health Officer 42
Informational Service Report 50
Syphilis and Its Control in North Carolina 51
Division of Preventive Medicine 62
Department for Crippled Children 70
Division of Sanitary Engineering 76
Division of Oral Hygiene 88
State Laboratory of Hygiene 90
Division of Epidemiology 102
Division of Vital Statistics 107
Division of County Health Work Ill
Division of Industrial Hygiene 125
Annual Report North Carolina State Board of Health to
Conjoint Session State Medical Society, year 1936 135
Annual Report North Carolina State Board of Health to
Conjoint Session State Medical Society, year 1937 148
THE CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
PUBLIC HEALTH WORK IN NORTH CAROLINA
In the seventies Dr. Thomas Fanning Wood, of Wilmington, caught
the vision of the possibilities of public health work to North Carolina.
How fully he grasped the far-reaching consequences of his idea, how
clearly he saw the ever-growing hosts of lives saved as a result of his
vision and inspiration, we shall never know. We do know that the vision
never left him, and that under its sway he worked, through the Medical
Journal which he edited and through the North Carolina State Medical
Society until his influence reached the people of the State in their Gen-eral
Assembly of 1877, with the effect that on February 12, 1877, the
North Carolina State Board of Health was born. Ours was the twelfth
State board of health to be established.
Without treating the development of the newly-established board
with that thoroughness that could be termed history, we think it
enough to set down here in chronological order the principal events
in the life and growth of the North Carolina State Board of Health.
1877. Board created by the General Assembly. Consisted in the begin-ning
of entire State Medical Society. Society acted through a
committee. Annual appropriation, $100.
1878. First educational pamphlet issued. Subject, "Timely Aid for the
Drowned and Suffocated." Annual appropriation, $100.
1879. The General Assembly reconstituted the Board of Health. Made
it to consist of nine members: six appointed by the Governor,
three elected by the State Medical Society. Term of office, five
years. Dr. Thomas F. Wood elected first Secretary of the Board,
May 21. Dr. S. S. Satchwell was first President of the Board.
Other legislative provisions: (1) Chemical examination of
water, and (2) organization of county boards of health, com-posed
of all regular practicing physicians and, in addition, the
mayor of the county town, the chairman of the board of county
commissioners, and the county surveyor. Four educational
pamphlets issued. Subjects: "Disinfection, Drainage, Drinking
Water, and Disinfectants;" "Sanitary Engineering;" "Methods
of Performing Post-mortem Examinations;" "Limitation and
Prevention of Diphtheria." Annual appropriation, $200.
1881. General Assembly passed a law requiring regulation of vital
statistics at annual tax listing; law ineffective. Annual appro-priation,
$200.
1885. General Assembly made county boards of health more efficient;
allowed printing privileges not to exceed $250 annually. An-nual
appropriation, $2,000.
1886. The Health Bulletin made its appearance in April. Pamphlet on
"Care Eyes and Ears," by Dr. Richard H. Lewis, printed and
distributed.
8 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
1888. Yellow fever epidemic in Florida and refugees to Western North
Carolina demonstrated value of a Board of Health to cope with
situation. Annual appropriation, $2,000.
1892. Dr. Thomas F. Wood, the Secretary of the Board, died August
22. Dr. Richard H. Lewis elected Secretary to succeed Dr.
Thomas F. Wood, September 7. Annual appropriation, $2,000.
1893. Legislative provisions: (1) Laws improving the reporting of
contagious diseases, (2) the protection of school children from
epidemics, (3) protecting the purity of public water supplies,
and (4) regulation of common carriers. Legislature provided
that Governor appoint five of the nine members of the Board
of Health, that the State Medical Society elect four, and that
the term of office of the members of the State Board of Health
be from five to six years. The $250 printing limit was removed.
Pamphlet on quarantine and disinfection was prepared and
reprinted by many of the State papers. Annual appropriation,
$2,000.
1894. A number of public health conferences were arranged and held
in different towns of the State. Bulletin was increased from a
mailing list of 800 to 1,200. Annual appropriation, $2,000.
1895. Dr. Albert Anderson and Dr. W. T. Pate were elected bacteriolo-gists
for the board. Annual appropriation, $2,000.
1896. Board passed a resolution requiring chemical and bacteriological
examinations of municipal water supplies. Dr. Venable, of
Chapel Hill, undertook the chemical examination, and Drs.
Anderson and Pate the bacteriological examination. Board also
directed Mr. John C. Chase, the engineer member, to inspect
all municipal water plants in the State. Annual appropriation,
$2,000.
1897. General Assembly enacted law requiring county superintend-ents
of health to be elected by county commissioners and
reduced term of office to one year. Annual appropriation
$2,000.
1899. General Assembly improved the laws protecting public water
supplies. Smallpox prevailed extensively in the State. Dr
Henry F. Long, and later, on Dr. Long's resignation, Dr
Joshua Tayloe, were employed to travel over the State, con-sulting
with and advising the local sanitary authorities as tc
proper means for protecting the public. Annual appropriation
$2,000.
1900. State Board of Agriculture, on request of State Board of Health,
agreed to examine samples of water from public water supplies
until Board of Health could provide its own examiner. Annual
appropriation, $2,000.
1901. State Board of Embalmers, with representatives of State Board
of Health, established. County health work placed in the hands
of county sanitary committees composed of county commis-sioners
and two physicians which commissioners elected to
North Carolina Board of Health 9
serve with them. Term of office of county superintendent of
health made two years. Annual appropriation, $2,000.
1903. General Assembly enacted law permitting Board of Health to
charge $5 for each analysis of a public water supply, this fee
to be used in paying Department of Agriculture for services of
examiner. Dr. C. W. Stiles, U. S. P. H. S., before the State
Medical Society at Hot Springs, called attention to prevalence
of hookworm disease in the South. Dr. J. L. Nicholson and Dr.
W. S. Rankin, working under State Board of Health during
fall of 1903 and spring of 1904, showed great prevalence of
this disease in North Carolina. Annual appropriation, $2,000.
1904. A stenographer was employed. One hundred and twenty thou-sand
pamphlets on tuberculosis were printed and distributed.
There was a renewal and an extension of co-operative work
between the Board of Health and the State press, a number of
articles dealing with hygienic and sanitary subjects being
furnished the papers and published in them. Annual appropria-tion,
$2,000.
1905. General Assembly established State Laboratory of Hygiene;
imposed water tax of $64 on all public water companies; voted
$600 annually for the support of laboratory. Small appropria-tion
made it necessary for the Department of Agriculture to
continue to assist State Board of Health. Annual appropriation,
$2,000.
1906. The North Carolina Association for the Study and Prevention
of Tuberculosis was organized. Annual appropriation, $2,000.
1907. Two thousand dollars appropriated for the State Laboratory of
Hygiene. Pasteur treatment provided. State Sanatorium for
treatment of tuberculosis founded; $15,000 appropriated for
permanent improvements and $5,000 for maintenance. A law
requiring the separation of tuberculosis prisoners from other
prisoners was enacted. Annual appropriation, $4,000.
1908. January 1, Dr. C. A. Shore became Director of State Laboratory
of Hygiene. Annual appropriation, $4,000.
1909. General Assembly provided for (1) whole-time State Health
Officer; (2) collection of vital statistics of towns having a popu-lation
of 1,000 or over; (3) that all public water companies file
plans and specifications of their plants with the State Board
of Health, and that the State Board of Health pass necessary
rules and regulations for the care of public watersheds and
plants and furnish such rules and regulations and other advice
to those having charge of public water supplies; (4) that coun-ties
provide free diphtheria antitoxin for county indigents, and
(5) that the maintenance appropriation for the Sanatorium be
increased from $5,000 to $7,500, and an additional $30,000 be
granted for permanent improvements. Dr. Richard H. Lewis
resigned as Secretary of the Board, and Dr. W. S. Rankin was
elected as his successor, beginning his official work July 1.
Annual appropriation, $10,500.
10 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
1910. General effort to interest the people and State organizations in
public health work. Bulletin increased from 3,500 edition to
10,500 edition. Addresses on public health work delivered to
Conference of County Superintendents of Schools, State Fed-eration
of Women's Clubs, State Press Association, and Sani-tary
Sunday observed in April. Dr. John A. Ferrell elected,
February, Assistant Secretary for Hookworm Eradication; be-gan
work under State Board of Health and Rockefeller Sani-tary
Commission.
1911. Legislature established county boards of health to take the place
of the county sanitary committees; county board of health
composed of chairman board of county commissioners; county
superintendent of schools, mayor of county town, and two
physicians selected by the three county officials to serve with
them. Legislature also abolished quarantine for smallpox and
improved the quarantine laws. One thousand dollars annually
appropriated to contract with antitoxin manufacturers for
State supply of high-grade diphtheria antitoxin, with result
that price of antitoxin was cut to one-fourth former price,
saving the citizens of the State over $30,000 annually. Bulle-tin
increased from 11,500 copies to 20,000 copies each edition;
closer co-operation with press of State developed; regular
weekly press articles prepared and sent to papers; increase in
numbers of popular pamphlets for distribution. Hookworm
work this year largely educational through the school forces
and investigative through county dispensaries; thousands of
children found infected and treated. Strong sentiment began
to make itself felt for better health work by counties, four
counties employing whole-time county health officers. Guil-ford
County—one of the four—began its work June 1 and was
the first county in the United States to inaugurate full-time
county health work. Maintenance appropriation for State
Sanatorium increased to $12,500, with $20,000 voted for per-manent
improvements. Annual appropriation $22,500.
1912. Bulletin increased to 40,000 edition; number of popular pam-phlets
dealing with different diseases increased; press work
improved; educational work of Board along all lines amplified.
Secretary of Board of Health called attention of conjoint meet-ing
of State Medical Society and State Board of Health to the
relative importance of health problems and the bearing of this
subject upon the proper apportionment of health funds; instru-mental
in passing a resolution to the effect that pellagra was
an interstate problem, not a State problem, and requesting the
Federal Government to deal with pellagra as a Federal prob-lem;
resolution responsible, to considerable extent, for success-ful
effort on part of Hon. John M. Faison's securing Congres-sional
appropriation of $45,000 for the study of pellagra by
the Federal Government. Hookworm work extended and
county funds appropriated to supplement State and Rocke-
North Carolina Board of Health 11
feller Foundation for this work. Annual appropriation,
S22.500.
1913. General Assembly passed Model Vital Statistics Law with
SI 0.000 appropriation for its enforcement. County superinten-dent
of health changed to either county physician or county
health officer, depending on whether part-time or full-time
service. Educational efforts of Board continued and enlarged.
Hookworm work along same line as year before increased in
amount. Dr. John A. Ferrell resigned as Assistant Secretary
to accept position with the central office of the Rockefeller
Sanitary Commission in Washington, D. C. Dr. C. L. Pridgen
succeeded Dr. Ferrell. The movement for improved county
health work had by this time resulted in ten counties electing
whole-time county health officers. The State Sanatorium for
Treatment of Tuberculosis turned over by Extra Session of
1913 to the management of State Board of Health. Annual
appropriation. $40,500.
1914. Preceding work of the Board continued. Board of Health took
over management of Sanatorium; started out under many
difficulties on account of the institution owing many debts
and the appropriation being limited. Hookworm work
changed to community work directed to the installation of
sanitary privies in all homes. Laboratory began to produce
and distribute free anti-typhoid vaccine. Dr. C. L. Pridgen
resigned as Director Hookworm Eradication, and Dr. W. P.
Jacocks succeeded him. Annual appropriation, $40,500.
1915. General Assembly makes State vital statistics law conform to
national model by requiring burial permits in rural communi-ties;
enacts legislation permitting county commissioners and
towns and cities to appropriate money for support of tuber-culosis
citizens in State Sanatorium; provides $15,000 for
purchase and building of antitoxin plant; appropriates $60,000
for payment of Sanatorium debts and new buildings and other
improvements, and $25,000 annually for maintenance and
$10,000 for extension anti-tuberculosis work. Educational
work greatly extended: Bulletin now 47,000; traveling public
health exhibit shown at fairs and other assemblages; press
work greatly developed through employment of Miss Kate
Herring, a journalist, for her whole time: stock lectures with
lantern slides supplied public speakers in different parts of
the State; community soil pollution work under Dr. W. P.
'Jacocks stops in April, and Bureau of Rural Sanitation, with
Dr. G. M. Cooper at its head, succeeds, beginning work May 1.
Considerable amount of work done for improvement of prison
conditions. The unit system of county health work gets a good
start; over 52,000 people given three complete vaccinations
against typhoid fever, and medical inspection of schools put on
in six counties. Annual appropriation. $50,500.
12 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
1916. North Carolina was admitted to the Registration Area for
deaths. To the educational agencies of the Board was added a
self-supporting moving picture health show. Many saw this
show during the year and, seeing, believed in health work as
never before. Bulletin reached 51,000 edition. Co-operation
with University in developing a plan and putting on a home
post-graduate course in medicine, giving first course to 169
doctors. Put into operation an optional system of hotel inspec-tion,
with grading and publishing scores. Continued Bureau
of Rural Sanitation, giving three anti-typhoid injections to
48,000, making 100,000 immunized in summers of 1915 and
1916. Did complete medical inspection of six counties and
with inspection a large amount of educational work as to
sanitary and hygienic living. Secured effort by Federal Chil-dren's
Bureau to develop unit of child hygiene work, the
Bureau using two employees to work in Cumberland and
Swain counties for about eight months. Laboratory of Hygiene
buys land and erects its own building. Annual appropriation,
$55,500.
1917. The General Assembly passed the following important health
legislation: Chapter 263, entitled "An act to prevent and
control the occurrence of certain infectious diseases in North
Carolina"; Chapter 244, entitled "An act to provide for the
physical examination of the school children of the State at
regular intervals"; Chapter 276, entitled "An act for the co-operative
and effective development of rural sanitation";
Chapter 257, entitled "An act to prevent blindness in infancy,
designating certain powers and duties and otherwise providing
for the enforcement of this act"; Chapter 66, entitled "An act
to provide for the sanitary inspection and conduct of hotels
and restaurants"; Chapter 286, entitled "An act to regulate the
treatment, handling and work of prisoners."
Following the enactment of this legislation, administrative
machinery, consisting of a Bureau of Epidemiology under the
direction of Dr. A. McR. Crouch, a Bureau for the Medical
Inspection of Schools under the direction of Dr. Geo. M.
Cooper, and a Bureau for County Health Work, under the
direction of Dr. B. E. Washburn, was established. Dr. Wash-burn,
an officer of the International Health Board, was loaned
to the State without cost, and the International Health Board,
in addition to furnishing Dr. Washburn, appropriated $15,000
annually for County Health Work in accordance with the
provisions of Chapter 276.
The United States Public Health Service in February, 1917,
detailed Dr. K. E. Miller to study county health work in dif-ferent
sections of the country and to establish for demonstra-tion
purposes, in Edgecombe County, department of health on
an economic basis easily within the financial reach of the
average county.
North Carolina Board of Health 13
The State Laboratory of Hygiene moved into its own build-ing,
January 15, 1917.
The State was admitted to the registration area of the
Union for births in January, 1917, the Bureau of the Census
having found after investigation that our birth registration
was 96 per cent complete.
The special campaign against typhoid fever begun so satis-factorily
in 1915 was continued. Free vaccination of the
people, however, was interfered with by the difficulty in
securing medical officers to do the work, the preparedness
program of the Government having caused many physicians
and nurses to enter the army and navy; nevertheless, a total
of 30,000 citizens of the State were vaccinated as a direct
result of the Board's activities, and many thousands of others
were vaccinated by the physicians of the State as a result of
the educational work of the Board directed to impressing the
people with the value of vaccination as a means of prevention
for typhoid fever.
In December, 1917, life extension work, which consisted
briefly of the free physical examination of interested citizens
for the purpose of advising them as to their physical condition
and needed hygienic reform and medical treatment, was begun
on a county basis. The funds necessary for this work were
appropriated partly by the State and partly by the counties in
which the life extension work was carried out. Dr. Amzi J.
Ellington, of Raleigh, who at the time was a resident physician
in the New York City Hospital, was employed and placed in
charge of the work. Life extension work was carried out in
Vance, Alamance, Lenoir and Robeson counties, and resulted
in the full physical examination of 4,000 citizens. This work
was very favorably received, and the outlook for its continued
development seemed excellent when, with the declaration of
war and the call for physicians to enter the military service
of the country. Dr. Ellington enlisted in the Medical Corps of
the Army. For this reason, and for the further reason that it
has been almost impossible to secure health officers during the
past two years, the work was not resumed.
The educational work of the State Board of Health consisted
in the issuance of eight issues of the Monthly Health Bulletin,
each monthly edition amounting to 45,000, and a daily news-paper
health article. The Bureau continued its moving picture
show exhibit. Arrangements were made for the preparation
of newspaper plate, which was sent to and extensively used
by 202 papers having a total circulation of 303,000.
The annual appropriation for the State Board of Health was
$60,772.16. The annual appropriation for the State Laboratory
of Hygiene was $12,500, and this, in addition to $9,087.22 in
fees permitted under the laws of the State to be paid to the
Laboratory for special work, provided the Laboratory with a
total annual budget of $21,587.22.
14 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
1918. Much of the work this year was influenced by the war and had
to do with preparedness. The State Health Officer visited
Washington, at the request of the Council of National Defense
and as chairman of a committee of State Health Officers, on a
number of occasions for conferences with respect to prepared-ness
measures, provisions for the control of venereal diseases,
arrangements for co-ordinating the control of infectious dis-eases
in the civilian population with their control in canton-ments,
and to arrange, if possible, with the Public Health
Service and the Surgeon-General of the Army for preserving
the personnel of State health departments during the war.
Considerable time was given to assisting Major John W.
Long, Medical Aide to the Governor, in the work of organizing
the Medical Advisory Boards and in interesting physicians in
entering the medical service of the Army and Navy, and, later
in the year, in inducing the physicians of the State to become
members of the Volunteer Medical Service Corps.
Partly as a result of these activities, the Surgeon-General of
the Army assigned Major Joseph J. Kinyoun to assist the
State Board of Health in the control of communicable diseases,
the Board being under no financial obligation for Major Kin-youn's
assistance; and as a result of the successful termination
of the activities of various interests looking to a more effective
control of venereal diseases, the Kahn-Chamberlain bill passed
Congress, and made available to the State of North Carolina.
and without condition, $23,988.61 for venereal disease work.
The Laboratory during this year began the distribution of a
high grade of diphtheria antitoxin.
The Bureau of Medical Inspection of Schools, under the
direction of Dr. G. M. Cooper, developed, and with a degree
of success that we may say established, free dental clinics for
the public schools of the State. The Bureau also developed to
a successful extent an arrangement in the form of adenoid and
tonsil clubs for the practical and economic treatment of public
school children suffering from these defects.
The Bureau of Epidemiology employed two third-year
medical students, equipped them with motorcycles, and put
them into the field to investigate infringements of the quaran-tine
law. Sufficient convictions were obtained to impress the
people with the determination of the State to enforce its
health laws, and a fairly satisfactory compliance with the laws
regarding the reporting of communicable diseases was brought
about.
The Bureau of Venereal Diseases, paid for by the Federal
appropriation, was established in September under the direc-torship
of Dr. James A. Keiger.
Mr. Warren H. Booker, for the last seven years the efficient
director of the Bureau of Engineering and Education, left in
September for Red Cross work in France, the work of his
North Carolina Board of Health 15
bureau being continued, with the exception of the engineering
work, by Mr. Ronald B. Wilson, who had been employed
earlier in the year to succeed Miss Herring in assisting Mr.
Booker with the journalistic work, Miss Herring having been
engaged by the War Department for educational work.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the health work
during the year 1918 was the epidemic of influenza. The
epidemic began early in October and caused in October alone
6,056 deaths; in November 2,133 deaths, and in December
1,497 deaths, a total during the last three months of 9.686
deaths.
The annual appropriation for the State Board of Health for
1918 was $73,210.38.
The annual appropriation for the State Laboratory of
Hygiene was $12,500. The Laboratory, during this year, col-lected
$8,532.48 in fees for special work, so that the total
income of the Laboratory for this year was $21,032.48.
1919. The General Assembly passed the following important health
legislation: Chapter 71, entitled "An act to prevent the spread
of disease from insanitary privies"; Chapter 192, entitled "An
act to provide for the physical examination and treatment of
the school children of the State at regular intervals"; Chapter
206, entitled "An act for the prevention of venereal diseases";
Chapter 213, entitled "An act to require the provision of
adequate sanitary equipment for public schools"; Chapter 214,
entitled "An act to obtain reports of persons infected with
venereal diseases": Chapter 215, entitled "An act to amend
Chapter 671, Public-Local Laws of 1913, relating to the in-junction
and abatement of certain nuisances."
The Bureau of Engineering and Inspection was organized in
April. The engineering work of the Board had been suspended
with the resignation of Mr. Warren H. Booker in September,
1918, Mr. Booker having gone to France to engage in tuber-culosis
work under the direction of the Red Cross. Between
September, 1918. and April, 1919, the engineering problems
coming before the Board had been referred and very kindly
and effectively taken care of by Col. J. L. Ludlow of Winston-
Salem, the engineer member of the Board. Mr. H. E. Miller,
an engineer and a graduate of the University of Michigan, was
placed in charge of the new bureau, and his brother, Dr. K. E.
Miller, of the United States Public Health Service, was de-tailed
by the Service to assist him in the organization of his
work. Mr. H. E. Miller and Dr. K. E. Miller spent the spring
and summer and a part of the fall in studying various types
of privies, in preparing plans for the construction and mainte-nance
of privies, and in preparing the necessary notices and
literature to inform the people of the objects and requirements
of the new privy law.
16 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
On May 1 Dr. A. J. Warren, health officer of Rowan County,
was appointed to and accepted the position of Assistant Sec-retary
of the Board.
About the first of the year, Miss Herring returned to the
educational work of the Board. After a few months she
returned to the Federal Service, and Mr. R. B. Wilson, who
had left the Board work upon Miss Herring's return, was
again offered a place with the Board. Mr. Wilson accepted
and assumed his duties on July 1.
On August 1 Dr. A. McR. Crouch, Director of the Bureau of
Epidemiology, resigned to accept a position with the city of
Wilmington. Dr. F. M. Register, whole-time health officer of
Northampton County, succeeded Dr. Crouch as director of
the bureau.
Dr. E. J. Wood resigned this year, effective at the end of his
term, and Governor Bickett appointed Dr. E. J.. Tucker of
Roxboro for six years term—first dentist to serve on Board.
In September Dr. J. R. Gordon, Director of the Bureau of
Vital Statistics since 1914, resigned on account of impaired
health, and on October 1st the Bureau of Epidemiology and
the Bureau of Vital Statistics were combined and placed under
the direction of Dr. Register.
In September Mrs. Kate Brew Vaughan, Director of the
Bureau of Infant Hygiene, resigned. The bureau was reor-ganized
under an understanding with the American Red Cross
and was enlarged to include, in addition to infant hygiene,
the problem of public health nursing, the name of the bureau
being changed to that of "Bureau of Public Health Nursing
and Infant Hygiene." Under the agreement with the Red
Cross this bureau was to have an available appropriation of
$12,000 a year, half of which was to be furnished by the
American Red Cross and half by the State Board of Health.
The personnel of the bureau and its plan of work, under the
agreement, was made contingent upon the approval of both
participating agencies, the American Red Cross and the State
Board of Health. In December Miss Rose M. Ehrenfeld took
charge of the new bureau and began its organization and
work.
On October 1 Dr. Jas. A. Keiger, Director of the Bureau of
Venereal Diseases, resigned and Dr. Millard Knowlton was
appointed to succeed him.
The typhoid campaign carried on during the summer
through previous years was continued in the summer of 1919,
using third-year medical students, furnished either with
automobile or motorcycles for getting about. Campaigns were
carried out in the following counties: Bertie, Cabarrus,
Chatham, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Hertford, Iredell, John-ston,
Lincoln, Onslow, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Randolph,
North Carolina Board of Health 17
Richmond, Rockingham, Stanly, Union, Warren, Wayne. A
total of 49,076 were given complete vaccination.
The educational work of the Board consisted of the publi-cation
of 48.000 monthly edition of the Bulletin, and the
distribution of about 350,000 pieces of public health literature.
The funds available during this fiscal year amounted to
$198,549.14, of which $102,301.98 was from State appropria-tions
and the remainder from outside sources.
The appropriation for the State Laboratory of Hygiene for
this year was $28,500; in addition to this, the Laboratory
collected in fees for special work, for antitoxin, and in water
taxes a total of $14,344.02, making a total of $42,844.02
available for work of Laboratory.
1920. During this year there was a Special Session of the General
Assembly, lasting twenty days and held in the latter part of
August. This Special Session passed an act amending the vital
statistics law, making the fees for local registrars 50 cents
instead of 25 cents for each certificate properly filed with the
State Board of Health.
On January 1 Dr. B. E. Washburn, who had had general
direction of the co-operative county health work and who had
rendered most acceptable service, was recalled by the Inter-national
Health Board and detailed to take charge of their
interests in Jamaica. Dr. K. E. Miller, of the United States
Public Health Service, who had been detailed in January,
1917, to organize a model county health department in Edge-combe
County and then, in 1919, to assist his brother, Mr. H. E.
Miller, in organizing the work of the new Bureau of
Engineering and Inspection, to which was assigned the duty of
enforcing the State-wide privy act, succeeded Dr. Washburn
as director of the Bureau of County Health Work.
In January a co-operative effort with the United States
Public Health Service and the International Health Board to
demonstrate the possibilities and advantages of the eradication
of malaria from certain towns and cities in the eastern part of
the State was begun. The terms of co-operation were that the
International Health Board and the State Board of Health
were to pay one-half of the expenses of the local work and
the town or city in which the work was done the other half,
the Public Health Service furnishing, as its part, expert
supervising personnel. The towns and cities chosen for this
work were Goldsboro, Farmville, and Greenville, the budget
for each municipality being, respectively: Goldsboro, $13,-
670.98; Farmville, $5,000, and Greenville, $9,000, a total
investment in this work of $27,670.98. Mr. A. W. Fuchs,
Associate Sanitary Engineer, was detailed by the Service to
have supervision of the work.
In February Dr. A. J. Warren, Assistant Secretary of the
State Board of Health, resigned his position in order to accept
the appointment of city health officer of Charlotte, N. C.
18 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
In the winter and spring of 1920 the North Carolina Land-owners'
Association, under the progressive leadership of Mr.
W. A. McGirt, of Wilmington, undertook a very extensive
educational campaign against malaria, which was carried on
through the public schools of thirty-eight counties in eastern
North Carolina. A series of county and State prizes for the
best essay on malaria by public school children were offered
as an inducement to the school children to interest and inform
themselves and, indirectly, their parents with regard to the
importance of this disease. To make possible this work by
the school children 75,000 malaria catechisms, prepared by
Dr. H. R. Carter, of the United States Public Health Service,
were distributed through the public schools of the eastern
part of the State to the school children. Thousands of essays
were written, and it is reasonable to believe that the cam-paign
was one of the most successful public health educational
attempts yet undertaken.
In June it was found advisable to separate the Bureau of
Epidemiology and the Bureau of Vital Statistics which had,
on account of the scarcity of health officers, been placed under
the dictatorship of a single bureau chief, Dr. F. M. Register.
Dr. Register was appointed Director of the Bureau of Vital
Statistics and Dr. J. S. Mitchener was appointed Director of
the Bureau of Epidemiology.
In April the Interdepartmental Social Hygiene Board
assigned to the State Board of Health several workers for
making a study of vice conditions in North Carolina towns and
cities and for taking such steps as were found expedient for
decreasing prostitution. This group of workers was with-drawn
in September on account of differences developing
between them and Dr. Knowlton, chief of the Bureau of
Venereal Diseases, with the understanding that another group
of workers would be assigned to this work at a later date.
In June arrangements were made with the United States
Public Health Service and the American Social Hygiene
Association for the development of an elaborate educational
unit on sex hygiene and venereal diseases designed to reach
rural meetings through the use of picture films and a portable
truck. An outfit consisting of several lectures and a moving
picture truck began work in Cumberland County in August,
and from its very beginning met a most cordial reception and
gave every promise of developing into one of the most useful
agencies for dealing with the venereal disease problem.
During the year anti-typhoid vaccination campaign was
continued in Alamance, Bladen, Columbus, Duplin, Franklin,
Gaston, Harnett and Mecklenburg counties. Co-operative cam-paigns,
in which the counties furnished the working personnel,
were also carried on in Anson, Johnston and Rutherford
counties. A total of 29,435 citizens have been vaccinated
North Carolina Board of Health 19
against the disease, and this does not include Columbus
County, in which the work was just beginning when this
report was completed.
The educational work of the State Board of Health during
this year consisted of a 48,000 monthly edition of the State
Board of Health Bulletin and the distribution of approximately
350,000 pieces of public health literature.
The funds available during this fiscal year amounted to
$342,284.33, of which $176,152.61 was State appropriation and
the remainder from outside sources.
The appropriation for the State Laboratory of Hygiene for
this year was $25,000; in addition to this, the Laboratory
collected in fees for special work, for antitoxin and in water
taxes a total of $13,698.89, making a total of $38,698.89 avail-able
for the work of the Laboratory. The above amount being
insufficient, the Special Session of the Legislature authorized a
loan of $15 000 to enable the work of the Laboratory to be
carried on, making a total of $53,698.89 available for the
work of the Laboratory during this year.
1921 The Legislature meeting early in January of this year was asked
by the Board to amend the State law restricting the salary of
the executive officer of the Board to $3,000 annually, so as to
make the salary $5,000. Such an amendment was passed. A
further request from the Board was that legislation be enacted
removing the inspection tax of forty cents from privies coming
under the supervision of the Board of Health. Such an amend-ment
to the State-wide Privy Law was also enacted. A bill
was introduced in this session of the General Assembly under
the initiative of Hon. Emmet H. Bellamy requiring a physical
examination of all applicants for marriage and making issu-ance
of license contingent upon the physical qualifications of
the applicant. The State Board of Health approved and
supported Mr. Bellamy's bill, realizing, as did the author of
the bill, that the proposed legislation was but a step in the
right direction and was, therefore, rather loosely drawn and
left many things to be desired. The bill finally passed in
amended form as Chapter 129, Public Laws of 1921.
The Governor appointed Mr. Chas. E. Waddell, an engineer,
of Asheville, to succeed Col. J. L. Ludlow as the engineer
member of the Board.
Perhaps the most important change inaugurated in State
health administration during this year was the adoption of a
cost basis for standardizing and measuring the efficiency of
public health work in those counties in which the State par-ticipated
financially. This new principle is fully described in
the State Board of Health Bulletin for January, 1922, and a
further discussion of cost basis for public health work is
unnecessary here except, perhaps, to say that it is apparently
20 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
at least one of the first attempts to introduce the cost system
of industry into government.
The Bureau of Venereal Diseases, in charge of Dr. Millard
Knowlton, established as a part of the war-time activities of
the Board in co-operation with the Bureau of Venereal
Diseases of the Federal Government, was combined with and
made a part of the work of the Bureau of Epidemiology,
under the general direction of Dr. J. S. Mitchener.
Funds available for the year included: State appropriation,
$275,000; miscellaneous receipts, $164,184.42; total, $439,-
184.42.
1922. In order to bring the records of this department into harmony
with those of other State departments, in accordance with the
Act of the General Assembly of 1921, changing the fiscal year
of the State so as to begin on July 1st each year, this report
ends with June 30, 1922. It, therefore, covers a period of
nineteen months; one full fiscal year from December 1, 1920,
to November 30. 1921; seven months from December 1, 1921,
to June 30, 1922. Effective February 1, the American Red
Cross Society abrogated the agreement existing since 1919 by
which it jointly financed, with the Board of Health, the Bureau
of Public Health Nursing and Infant Hygiene. This bureau
was reorganized April 1 as the Bureau of Maternity and
Infancy, for its maintenance the State receiving $27,259.66
annually from the United States Government in accordance
with the Sheppard-Towner Act for the promotion of the wel-fare
of mothers and infants. Dr. K. P. B. Bonner, of Morehead
City, was secured as the director of the reorganized bureau,
with Miss Rose M. Ehrenfeld as supervisor of nursing and
Mrs. T. W. Bickett in charge of educational work.
The funds available during this period, and their distribution
were seven-twelfths of the amounts set out under the tabula-tion
for 1921.
The appropriation for the State Laboratory of Hygiene for
the nineteen months between December 1, 1920, and June 30,
1922, was $87,083.33; in addition to this, the Laboratory
collected in fees for special work, for antitoxin and in water
taxes, a total of $30,872.51, making a total of $117,955.84
available for the work of the Laboratory.
1923. The General Assembly of 1923 enacted some important and far-reaching
legislation affecting public health work in North
Carolina. The most important legislation enacted this year
was the act providing for an independent board of directors
for the State Sanatorium for Tuberculosis, removing the
direction of that institution from the authority of the State
Board of Health. Facilities were also provided at the State
Sanatorium for the confinement, care, and treatment of tuber-culosis
convicts. Other legislation included the act to provide
for the sanitary manufacture of bedding, the latter act to be
North Carolina Board of Health 21
enforced by the State Board of Health. The Bureau of Epi-demiology
was again combined with the Bureau of Vital
Statistics.
On March 1 Dr. G. M. Cooper was made Assistant Secretary
of the State Board of Health, and Dr. J. S. Mitchener was
assigned to the Bureau of Medical Inspection of Schools, after
the consolidation of the Epidemiology work, which he had
directed, with the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Dr. K. E. Miller,
of the United States Public Health Service, was recalled for
duty elsewhere.
In order to experiment with the plan of District Health
Work, an effort was made to place responsibility for all State
Board of Health activities under the direction of district
directors attached to the staff of the State Board of Health.
This effort was continued throughout the year, but proved to
be ineffective and unsatisfactory.
During the year Dr. F. R. Harris resigned from membership
on the State Board of Health to become health officer of Vance
County. The Board elected Dr. D. A. Stanton, of High Point,
to fill the unexpired term of Dr. Harris.
In order to further carry on the important work of malaria
control in a number of the counties of the coastal plain area of
the State, which work was so effectively commenced in an
educational capacity in 1920, the International Health Board
was requested to participate in this work and to provide a
director for that service. The International Health Board
agreed, accepted the invitation, and assigned Dr. H. A. Taylor,
of Alabama, to head this division. Pamlico County was selected
as headquarters for Dr. Taylor. The cost of this work was
borne by the State Board of Health and Pamlico County
contributing 40 per cent each, and the International Health
Board the remaining 20 per cent. The International Health
Board, of course, paid the salary of Dr. Taylor.
In June Dr. J. S. Mitchener resigned as director of the
Bureau of Medical Inspection of Schools and Dr. Roy C.
Mitchell, who had been doing some special educational field
work for the Board, temporarily succeeded Dr. Mitchener.
Early in 1923 Dr. W. S. Rankin, the State Health Officer,
was invited by the Committee of Municipal Health Depart-ment
Practice of the American Public Health Association to
become field director for the committee in making a study of
municipal health practices in the United States. This was for
the purpose of working out a basis or set of principles through
which city health departments could be given classification or
grading, and also for the purpose of assisting such departments
in their organization work. The request was brought before
a special meeting of the executive committee of the Board, and
it directed the Secretary to take advantage of the opportunity
offered. The Board granted to the Secretary one year's leave
22 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
of absence, but requested him at the same time to continue in
touch as executive officer of the Board with the work of the
Board.
On November 1 Dr. Rankin assumed his duties and estab-lished
official headquarters in New York City for the work of
the committee.
The general organization of the executive staff of the Board
was continued with the Assistant Secretary, Dr. G. M. Cooper,
as official head of the staff. Local health work in the eastern
half of the State was directed by Dr. H. A. Taylor, and that in
the western part of the State by Dr. E. F. Long, who had been
assistant to Dr. K. E. Miller as director of county health work.
To assist Dr. Taylor in the east, Dr. George Collins, formerly
health officer of Mecklenburg County, was employed, and to
assist Dr. Long in the western half of the State Dr. C. N. Sisk,
formerly health officer of Forsyth County, was employed.
During the year a plan for the more adequate sanitary
control of public milk supplies in the State was formulated.
This work was undertaken under the direction of the Bureau
of Engineering and Inspection, and Mr. Malcolm Lewis was
employed to organize this work. Several changes in personnel
took place this year. Dr. M. L. Iseley, who had been employed
in county health department work, and Dr. Roy C. Mitchell
resigned. Miss Rose M. Ehrenfeld also resigned.
1924. During this year Dr. Rankin continued his work with the
American Public Health Association until November 1. Dur-ing
this period the work of the Board was directed by Dr.
G. M. Cooper, serving as Acting Secretary. On November 1
Dr. Rankin returned, and during that month, under the
direction of Dr. Maxey of the United States Public Health
Service, a school for health officers was conducted under the
auspices of the State Board of Health for one week in Raleigh.
This meeting was well attended, and every modern method
which might be utilized in the work of a modern public health
department was discussed throughout the week.
Dr. M. L. Townsend was placed in charge of the Division of
Health Education. Dr. K. P. B. Bonner resigned as director of
the Bureau of Maternity and Infancy.
1925. Dr. Rankin resigned, effective ^une 1, to accept the position of
director of the Hospital and Orphan Division of the Duke
Foundation. At a meeting of the Board of Health on May 30
Dr. G. M. Cooper was unanimously made Acting Secretary for
an indefinite period of time to succeed Dr. Rankin. During
the year Dr. E. F. Long resigned as director of county health
work and Dr. C. N. Sisk, who had been assistant to Dr. Long,
was placed in charge of county health work, without an
assistant.
1926. On June 21 Dr. Charles O'H. Laughinghouse, a member of the
Board, was elected permanent Secretary and State Health
North Carolina Board of Health 23
Officer to fill the unexpired term of Dr. Rankin. Dr. Laughing-house
accepted and took office October 1. Dr. G. M. Cooper,
who had for sixteen months administered the work of the
Board as Acting State Health Officer, continued with the
service and was assigned to the Bureau of Health Education,
succeeding Dr. M. L. Townsend, who resigned. On August 6
Dr. Richard H. Lewis died. Dr. Lewis had served as a member
of the Board since 1885, and from 1892 to 1909 he served as
Secretary of the Board. Since 1909 he had been a member of
the executive committee. Dr. Lewis held his membership on
the Board by appointment from the Governor. To fill the
term of Dr. Lewis, expiring in 1931, Governor McLean
appointed Dr. John B. Wright, of Raleigh. Among other
reasons assigned for this appointment, the Governor stated
that it had been the rule since the Board of Health was estab-lished
to have at least one of the members of the Board a
resident of Raleigh.
When Dr. Laughinghouse resigned, in order to accept the
election to the position of State Health Officer by his fellow
members on the Board, the remaining members of the Board
elected Dr. W. S. Rankin, of Charlotte, former Secretary of the
Board, to succeed Dr. Laughinghouse.
1927. There were no changes in personnel or in staff organizations
during the year 1927. The most important event occurring
this year was the death of Dr. J. Howell Way on September 22.
Dr. Way had been a member of the Board for many years and
had been President of the Board for a long time. Governor
McLean appointed Dr. C. C. Orr, of Asheville, to succeed Dr.
Way. At the first meeting of the State Board of Health
following the death of Dr. Way. Dr. A. J. Crowell, of Char-lotte,
was made President of the Board. In April of this year
Dr. W. S. Rankin resigned as a member of the Board, and
Dr. L. E. McDaniel, of Jackson, was elected by the other
- members of the Board to succeed Dr. Rankin.
1928. Dr. J. C. Johnson, who had been director of the Oral Hygiene
Division, resigned as director of the oral hygiene work of the
Board, effective December 31.
During this year a corps of nurses employed in the Maternity
and Infancy Division of the Board, one-half of whose expenses
were paid by the Federal Government from Sheppard-Towner
funds, held midwife classes in about thirty counties of the
State.' The nurses gave special instruction to midwives in
groups, and the county authorities enacted midwife rules and
regulations for the control of their practice.
The educational work of the Board was of a high order
during this year. A thirty-two page Bulletin was issued
monthly, and a moving picture machine with several films on
modern health subjects was exhibited in many sections of the
State.
24 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
1929. With aid secured from the International Health Board, the Life
Extension Division was added to the activities of the Board
this year. Dr. Frederick R. Taylor, of High Point, was made
director of this division. Dr. Taylor carried this work before
the medical profession in all sections of the State.
On January 1 Dr. Ernest A. Branch accepted the appoint-ment
as director of the Division of Oral Hygiene to succeed
Dr. J. C. Johnson, resigned. Dr. Branch immediately set in
motion reorganization plans for the oral hygiene work to
include more lectures and more educational demonstration
work. Dr. Branch made contacts with several of the colleges
of the State and training schools for teachers.
Expenditures for the Board work this year reached the
highest peak in the history of the Board, totalling about
$486,000. There were no significant changes, other than those
mentioned above, in personnel during this year.
1930. This year marked many significant changes in the affairs of the
State Board of Health. Early in the year Dr. C. N. Sisk,
director of county health work, resigned. Dr. D. A. Dees
succeeded Dr. Sisk as director of county health work. Soon
after the resignation of Dr. Sisk, Dr. F. M. Register, director
of the Bureau of Vital Statistics, resigned, and the work of
that bureau was assigned to Dr. G. M. Cooper, in connection
with his work as director of health education. On August 26
Dr. Chas. O'H. Laughinghouse, State Health Officer, died. Soon
after his death, in a meeting of the Board, Dr. H. A. Taylor
was made Acting State Health Officer. On September 24,
following the death of Dr. Laughinghouse, the Board elected
Dr. W. P. Jacocks State Health Officer to succeed Dr. Laugh-inghouse.
On November 20 Dr. Cyrus Thompson, for many
years a member of the Board, died. On December 16 the
Board met and unanimously elected Dr. James M. Parrott, of
Kinston, as a member to succeed Dr. Thompson.
1931. At the beginning of this year, Doctor Jacocks having declined
to accept the position of State Health Officer, to which he had
been elected by the Board on September 24, 1930, a bill was
introduced in the Legislature abolishing the State Board of
Health as then constituted. This bill was passed and became
law during the session of 1931. With the enactment of the
new law the terms of the members of the old Board were
automatically terminated. Under this new law governing the
State health work, legislative machinery providing for the
establishment of a new organization to carry on the public
health work of the State was enacted. The new law differs in
many respects from the old law under which the Board had
operated for so long. However, the most important provision
of the old law was retained; that is, the non-political character
of the Board and the retention of the permanency of the
policies of the Board, although shortening the terms of office
North Carolina Board of Health 25
and making it impossible for the Board to become a self-perpetuating
machine.
The important provisions in the new law under which the
Board of Health work is now operating are as follows: The
Governor still retains the power to appoint five of the nine
members of the Board, the maximum term of office being
four years instead of six, as under the old law, and no member
to serve more than two terms, making the total tenure of
office of any member not to exceed eight years. The Medical
Society of the State of North Carolina still retains the power
to elect four of the nine members of the Board, the same
conditions as to term of office to obtain here as in those
appointed by the Governor. It was recommended to the
Governor, although not written into the law, and Governor
Gardner accepted the suggestion, that he appoint one member
from the State Dental Society and that he appoint a man
recommended by that society. This is equivalent to allowing
the State Dental Society to name one of the members, but still
leaves the balance of power in the hands of the Governor.
This seems to be a very satisfactory arrangement.
Another important change is that the Board still elects the
State Health Officer, but it can only become effective upon the
approval of the Governor. The term of the State Health
Officer, along with members of the Board of Health, was
restricted to four years, with the privilege of being re-elected
one time.
Following the adjournment of the Legislature, the Governor
appointed the following named members: Drs. J. T. Burrus,
High Point; H. Lee Large, Rocky Mount; J. N. Johnson, Golds-boro,
the dental member; Professor H. G. Baity, of the
University of North Carolina, and Mr. J. A. Goode. a druggist
of Asheville. The State Medical Society at its first meeting
after the adjournment of the Legislature elected the following
physicians to membership: Drs. James M. Parrott, Kinston;
Carl V. Reynolds. Asheville; S. D. Craig, Winston-Salem;
L. B. Evans, Windsor.
It will be noted that Dr. Parrott was the only member of
the outgoing Board honored with election to membership on
the new Board.
On May 28 the new Board met and organized. On that day it
unanimously elected Dr. James M. Parrott State Health Officer.
Dr. Parrott took the offer under consideration for a period of
two weeks. On June 11 the Board met again; Dr. Parrott
accepted the election and agreed to assume office on July 1.
Dr. Parrott resigned his membership on the Board before being
elected to the position of State Health Officer, and under the
provisions of the new law the executive committee of the
State Medical Society selected Dr. G. G. Dixon, of Ayden, to
serve in Dr. Parrott's place until the 1932 meeting of the State
26 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
Medical Society. It will be noted that this is an important
variation from the provisions of the old law. Under the old
law the other members of the Board held the authority to
name a successor, whether a member resigned or died. Under
the new law the Governor names his vacancies in his list and
the executive committee of the State Medical Society is per-mitted
to name a successor to serve only until the first meeting
of the State Medical Society follows.
In the meeting of June 11 the new Board found it necessary
to eliminate some members of the staff and to make some
consolidations, on account of reduced appropriations for the
Board work. The services of Dr. D. A. Dees and Mr. R. B.
Wilson were dispensed with, effective July 1. The Board
reorganized the staff and made many consolidations. The
new reorganization follows:
The Board reorganized the work into divisions, making
many consolidations and increasing the duties of the directors
of each division. Following are the divisions organized:
Administrative Officer, Dr. James M. Parrott; Director Division
of Laboratories, Dr. C. A. Shore; Director Division of Pre-ventive
Medicine, Dr. G. M. Cooper; Director Division of Oral
Hygiene, Dr. Ernest A. Branch. The division of County Health
Work and Epidemiology was temporarily assigned to Dr. H. A.
Taylor, but on August 3 Dr. Taylor resigned and Dr. John H.
Hamilton, health officer of New Hanover County, was ap-pointed
director of this division. The position of director of
Division of Sanitary Engineering was filled on July 14 by
electing Mr. Warren H. Booker, who had formerly headed that
work, to succeed Mr. H. E. Miller.
The election of Dr. Parrott was received throughout medical
and public health circles of the entire State with enthusiasm.
Under his able direction the work of the Board during the last
half of this year moved with a precision which was gratifying
to all the friends of public health work in the State.
1932. The year 1932 was uneventful in public health work. The term
of none of the members of the Board expired this year, but all
members continued their service just as the Board was con-stituted
at the close of 1931.
The International Health Board awarded a scholarship to
Dr. J. C. Knox for a year's special Public Health Work at
Harvard and to Dr. R. T. Stimpson for a year's special work
in the School of Hygiene at Johns Hopkins.
Following the very favorable reception of Doctor Parrott's
annual report at the conjoint session of the State Board of
Health and the State Medical Society, which was presented at
Winston-Salem in April, the work of the Board was carried on
on all fronts with satisfactory results, although on account of
reduced appropriations many activities carried on in previous
years had to be curtailed or definitely eliminated.
North Carolina Board of Health 27
The death rate in North Carolina for 1932 was 9.6 per 1,000
population. This is the lowest death rate ever before recorded
in North Carolina. The trend in typhoid fever death rates has
teen consistently downward from 1914 to 1930. This year
there were three more deaths than in 1931. there occurring a
total of 158 deaths from typhoid fever. The increase in popu-lation,
however, offset the slight increase in number, and the
rate recorded was slightly lower than 1931. The cases and
deaths from diphtheria this year were also the lowest of any
previous year, although progress in the elimination of these
diseases has not been so satisfactory as it should have been.
Deaths from pellagra continue to show a marked decline.
This year is the third year of the so-called financial depres-sion,
and it is too early to record any opinion as to what effect
unemployment and decreased income and rather widespread
suffering may have on the health of the people of the State. It
is not too much to say, however, that the effect will be felt
more severely by the children than by any other class of the
population.
The infant mortality this year was 66.4 per 1,000 live births.
This is so far the best record the State has ever made. The
maternal mortality remains high, and indications are that with
decreased expenditures for maternal and infant hygiene the
rates, particularly for infant deaths, will rise again, pushing
the State back among those having an excessive infant death
rate.
Expenditures for this year for all purposes by the Board
were $315,276, of which amount $262,438 represented appro-priations.
This amount was just a little more than half of the
total expenditures made by the Board of Health for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1930.
1933. The events of outstanding importance to the Board of Health
this year was the death of Dr. C. A. Shore, which occurred on
February 10. For twenty-five years Doctor Shore had been
director of the State Laboratory of Hygiene. He had built the
work of the laboratory during these years up to a point where
its prestige and usefulness was equal to that of any other
public health laboratory in America.
Doctor Shore served longer as a member of the executive
staff than any other man who has ever been connected with
the State Board of Health. He held the confidence and esteem
of the medical profession as well as the general public to a
marked degree. He was a man of extraordinary ability, and
much of the success of the public health work in North Caro-lina
may be attributed to his fine and wholesome service.
Suitable tribute has been paid to Doctor Shore and recorded
in other publications of the Board and of the State Medical
Society. One event in this connection, however, should be
recorded here, and that is that by legislative action all build-ings
of the State Laboratory of Hygiene are hereinafter to be
28 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
known as The Clarence A. Shore Laboratory, in memory of
his distinctive service.
A few weeks after the death of Doctor Shore, Dr. John H.
Hamilton, director of County Health Work, of Vital Statistics,
and of Epidemiology, was made director of the laboratory
work. Doctor Hamilton, on assuming his duties as director of
the Laboratory, resigned the duties of director of County
Health Work and of Epidemiology, but retained, however,
with the assistance of Dr. R. T. Stimpson as statistician and
field director, the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Dr. D. F. Milam,
a consultant assigned to the State Board of Health by the
International Health Board, was made acting director of the
Bureau of Epidemiology in place of Doctor Hamilton. Doctor
Milam had as his assistant Dr. J. C. Knox. Dr. M. V. Ziegler,
consultant assigned to the Board by the United States Public
Health Service, assumed the duties of acting director of County
Health Work to succeed Doctor Hamilton. During this year
Mr. W. D. Riley, assigned to the work as Venereal Disease
Control Officer by the United States Public Health Service,
organized his work and succeeded in making an important
contribution to the work of the Venereal Disease Control in
North Carolina.
The following changes in personnel of the State Board of
Health took place during this year: Dr. W. T. Rainey, of
Fayetteville, was elected by the State Medical Society for a
four-year term to succeed Dr. L. B. Evans, of Windsor, whose
term expired this year. Dr. S. D. Craig was re-elected for a
term of four more years. The Governor reappointed Dr. J. N.
Johnson, dental member of the Board, for another term, which
will expire in 1937. The Governor appointed Dr. Hubert B.
Haywood, of Raleigh, for a four-year term, to take the place
of Dr. J. T. Burrus, of High Point. The Governor also ap-pointed
Mr. James P. Stowe, a druggist of Charlotte, for a
four-year term, expiring in 1937. Mr. Stowe succeeded Mr.
J. A. Goode, a druggist of Asheville. Dr. Carl V. Reynolds
succeeded Dr. Burrus as President of the Board. On July 1
Drs. Knox and Stimpson returned to the Board work and
resumed their places after satisfactorily concluding their year's
scholarship work at Harvard and Hopkins, respectively.
The year was not marked by any widespread outbreak of
epidemic disease, and, notwithstanding a continuation of the
financial depression, the work of the State Board of Health
held up fairly well. The appropriations being lower this year
than before for many years, much of the personnel service
had to be reduced. A material reduction in State aid to
County Health Work caused considerable contraction of the
activities of County Health Department Work, but for the most
part the morale of State Board of Health employees as well as
the county health employees has held up remarkably well.
North Carolina Board of Health 29
The Legislature, meeting for an extended session following
its opening in January, made drastic reductions in appro-priations
to all State health work and reduced the salaries of
all State health employees. This was said to be necessary in
order to balance the State budget and to maintain the State's
credit.
The total expenditures for the Board of Health this year,
that is, for the fiscal year ending June 30, were $291,786. Of
this amount $225,274 was appropriated by the Legislature. It
will be noted that this sum was less than half of that appro-priated
and spent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1930.
1934. The event of greatest importance to the State Board of Health
and to the health work throughout the State in this year was
the death of Dr. James M. Parrott and the election of Dr. Carl
V. Reynolds as his successor. Dr. Parrott assumed the duties
of State Health Officer on July 1, 1931. He had thus served a
little more than three years and four months at the time of
his death. Dr. Parrott was the first State Health Officer to
serve under the new, or reorganized, Board of Health. He was
stricken with an attack of angina pectoris early in December,
1933. The last eleven months of his life, therefore, were ones
of recurring illness and courageous fortitude in remaining at
the helm of the Board of Health work. On the occasion of the
first illness, with the consent of the members of the State
Board of Health, he designated Dr. G. M. Cooper as Acting
State Health Officer to be the responsible head of the work in
such periods as he was physically unable to attend to the
duties of the office. The following sketch concerning Dr.
Parrott and his work, written by the Editor, was published in
the Health Bulletin:
"The death of Dr. James M. Parrott, State Health Officer of
North Carolina, occurred on Wednesday evening, November 7,
1934. Doctor Parrott had been health officer of North Carolina
for a little more than three years. He was so active mentally
and so near and dear to his co-workers here at the office that
to me, even yet, it seems impossible and unbelievable to think
that he is dead. Nearly thirty years ago I 'took' the State
Board examination for license to practice medicine. He was
a member of that board. From then on I looked on him as one
of the big men in the medical profession. He held every office
within the gift of his profession and loved it and served its
interests with a passionate devotion.
"He took over the direction of the work of the State Board
of Health in one of the darkest hours in the history of the
Board. He brought to the affairs of the Board a new kind of
leadership, a fresh outlook, a new viewpoint, and a breadth
of vision which served notice on the world that the Board had
a resourceful and able executive in charge. Although he came
to the Board work without previous experience in an adminis-
30 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
trative capacity of this type, and knowing little or nothing of
the practical workings of a modern public health organization,
his chief contribution, which will be duly recorded in the
history of this period, to the cause of public health advance-ment
was his stand for the professionalization of public health
work.
"Before he had been here sixty days, he realized that all
department divisions as well as all county health offices should
be manned by physicians technically trained and experienced
in public health work. It became necessary for him to oppose
the ambitions of some of his lifelong friends in the medical
profession, which hurt him; but it may be said to his credit
that he stood four-square for competently trained men as
public health officials.
"On assuming office, he realized that he had some very
unpleasant duties confronting him in reorganizing the work of
the Board. He soon demonstrated that he had convictions and
the courage to back them up. When he laid down his armor
for the great adventure, he left an organization of his own
building functioning at top speed. He proved to his fellow
workers here that he was tolerant to everything but laziness
and lying and inefficiency. Being a man of clean personal
life, and governed in all his actions by a strict sense of honor,
he naturally expected such qualities in his staff and other
subordinates.
"For the past year he struggled against the malady which
finally ended his life, and at the same time he felt keenly his
official responsibility. He knew all during that last year that,
in justice to himself and his family, he should resign and be
relieved of the extra tax on his failing strength. On the other
hand, he felt that his work was not quite done. He saw many
essential features of public health work sacrificed to a program
of questionable economy. He did not question the good inten-tions
of the Governor, the Budget Bureau, nor the Legislature,
but he felt that the time had come to put an end to the further
needless sacrifice of human life for the lack of intelligent
preventive efforts. He had a conviction that the incoming
General Assembly would see eye to eye with him. He was
ready to submit a program of far-reaching importance to the
people of the State. It could not be. His big brain is forever
inactive. His profound knowledge of the public health needs
of the people is left for his successor to acquire for himself.
"No man could build for himself a better monument than
Doctor Parrott did in the record of worth-while work well
done. In his death the State loses an honest public servant,
and I lose a warm and understanding friend whose confidence
was more precious to me than the riches of Araby."
Following Dr. Parrott's death, the State Board of Health
assembled in Raleigh on November 10, 1934, and unanimously
elected Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, who at that time was serving as
North Carolina Board of Health 31
President of the Board, to the position of State Health Officer
and Secretary and Treasurer of the State Board of Health.
Dr. Reynolds immediately accepted and assumed his duties at
once. The following Editorial appeared in the Health Bulletin
in January, 1935, concerning Dr. Reynolds and his work. It is
herewith reproduced in order that this chronological record
may be complete:
"Doctor Carl Vernon Reynolds, of Asheville, on November
10 took the oath of office and immediately assumed his duties
as Acting State Health Officer, succeeding Dr. James M. Par-rott,
who died November 7. Doctor Reynolds was unanimously
elected to the position by his fellow members on the Board.
"Doctor Reynolds is a native of Asheville. His father was a
successful Asheville physician who died when Doctor Reynolds
was only three years old. Doctor Reynolds obtained his literary
education in the private schools of Asheville and Wofford
College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. He received his medical
education at the college of the City of New York, graduating
in medicine there in 1895. After his graduation he took a
postgraduate course in London, England. Doctor Reynolds
located in Asheville for the practice of medicine, specializing
in pulmonary tuberculosis. His skill in combating that disease
has been widely recognized by the medical profession. An
example of their confidence was his election as president of
the North Carolina Medical Society, in which place he served
with distinction in 1920.
"On beginning practice he at once became interested in
health work. His first connection was with the city health
department in 1896. Following that period, for more than
twenty years he served as city health officer of Asheville, in
which capacity he rendered his city and the whole State
important and permanent service. Some of his contributions
to public health may be cited, as follows:
"He organized the first crusade against the common housefly
ever undertaken anywhere.
"He assisted in drafting the first milk ordinance for Ashe-ville.
"He secured progressive sanitary laws.
"He put through the compulsory vaccination law requisite
to school attendance.
"He secured the adoption of a bread-wrapping ordinance
and one requiring the tuberculin testing of cows.
"He saw typhoid fever drop from an average of two hundred
and seventy cases a year in the city of Asheville to about five
while he was city health officer, and saw smallpox practically
eliminated.
"We enumerate these things so that the people of the State
may know they have a well-trained health officer at the head
of the State Health Department—one fully worthy of confi-dence
and support."
32 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
The general routine work of the State Board of Health
during this year was satisfactory and successful in every way.
Dr. D. F. Milam, who had been loaned to the State Board of
Health by the International Health Board and who had been
acting as State Epidemiologist, was transferred to other fields
and on the first of July Dr. J. C. Knox, who had been Assistant
in the Division of Epidemiology, became State Epidemiologist.
Dr. M. V. Zeigler, of the United States Public Health Service,
who had also been loaned by that organization as a consultant
in the Division of County Health work and who had been
Acting Director of that Division, was transferred back to
Washington about the first of September. Dr. R. E. Fox, who
had completed a postgraduate course in the Public Health
School of Harvard University, was made Director of the
Division of County Health Work.
Dr. R. T. Stimpson, who had also successfully completed a
postgraduate course in the School of Public Health of Johns
Hopkins University, and who had been acting as Assistant in
the Department of Vital Statistics, was made Director of that
Division.
On November 10, at the time Dr. Reynolds was elected State
Health Officer, Dr. G. M. Cooper was elected Assistant State
Health Officer. Dr. Reynolds, of course, had to resign from
his place on the Board in order to accept the office of State
Health Officer. To succeed him as President, Dr. S. D. Craig
of Winston-Salem was elected to that position. Dr. J. N. John-son
of Goldsboro, dental member of the Board of Health, was
elected to the place of Vice-President of the Board. The law
provides that in case of a vacancy occurring on the State
Board of Health among the membership elected by the State
Medical Society, that the Executive Committee of the Medical
Society of the State of North Carolina shall have the authority
to appoint a successor to serve until the next ensuing meeting
of the State Society. In this case, the vacancy coming so close
to the annual meeting of the State Society and the Board of
Health on the following May 1 and there being no regularly
scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee of the State
Medical Society, it was decided to defer the election of a
successor to Dr. Reynolds to the meeting of the Society the
following May 1.
1935. Dr. Carl V. Reynolds served as Acting State Health Officer, the
Governor having deferred the approval of his election the
previous November 10, 1934, but at the annual meeting of the
State Board of Health, which was held in Pinehurst May 7,
1935, Dr. Reynolds was unanimously elected State Health
Officer. His election was for a full four year term to begin on
the first of July following. The Governor immediately ap-proved
the election of Dr. Reynolds to be State Health Officer
for the full term as stated.
North Carolina Board of Health 33
At the meeting of the conjoint session at Pinehurst on
Wednesday, May 8, Dr. Grady G. Dixon was re-elected to
succeed himself to membership on the State Board of Health
for a term of four years.
Dr. J. LaBruce Ward of Asheville was elected for the four
year term to succeed Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, resigned.
In this year an important development in public health
work was the experimental course put on in the school year
of 1934-1935 at the University of North Carolina, under the
auspices of the Public Health Administration, of a course of
instruction designed to prepare physicians for positions as
health officers. The courses in this school met with such
success, plans were perfected to enlarge the scope of this new
school as a part of the Medical School at the University. A
fuller description of the inauguration of this school will be
found under the records for 1936.
During this year following the enactment of the National
Social Security law, plans were worked out for an expansion
of the work of all the divisions of the State Board of Health,
through financial aid coming through the Children's Bureau
and the United States Public Health Service at Washington.
It was a year which noted much activity in public health work
all throughout the State, and the perfection of plans, State
and local, for extending health department activities.
A Division of Industrial Hygiene was tentatively established
in September of this year. The organization of this division,
resulted from an amendment to the Compensation Laws of the
State by the 1935 General Assembly. This legislation made
disablement or death by occupational disease interpretable as
an injury by accident and thus compensable. For the execution
of this legislation a sum of $10,000 was appropriated by the
Legislature. The Industrial Commission appreciating that a
problem of preventive medicine was involved, engaged in a
series of conferences with the State Board of Health and
Officers of the United States Public Health Service. The dis-cussions
culminated in the $10,000 appropriated for the
administration of the occupational disease legislation being
placed at the disposal of the State Health Officer. With this
money, an Industrial Hygiene program was inaugurated as an
activity of the State Board of Health. This arrangement was
made with the understanding that the work would be sub-sidized
by the United States Public Health Service when
Social Security funds should become available. To begin the
work of this division and to prepare the program for enlarge-ment
to its full scope, Dr. H. F. Eason of the State Sanatorium
for Tuberculosis Medical Staff was selected as the Director of
the division. Mr. M. F. Trice, formerly of the Division of
Sanitary Engineering of the State Board of Health, was made
Engineer of this new division.
34 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
1936. What may be termed the outstanding event of importance for
the first half of this calendar year covered in the period of
this report may be said to be the definite establishment of the
new public health department at the University of North
Carolina and the selection of Dr. Milton J. Rosenau as its
director. This new department, of course, is an integral part
of the School of Medicine of the University of North Carolina.
The March issue of the Health Bulletin published the following
descriptive news item of the inauguration of this department:
"The most important development in public health circles
in many years for this section of the South is the establishment
at Chapel Hill of a department of public health in connection
with the School of Medicine, and the selection of Dr. Milton J.
Rosenau as its director. This development has been made
possible by the co-ordination of the staffs of the faculties of
the North Carolina State Board of Health and the schools of
medicine and engineering of the University of North Carolina.
"The new department, while an integral part of the Uni-versity
School of Medicine with Dr. C. S. Mangum, Dean, will
be under the personal direction of Dr. Rosenau. Dr. Rosenau
is generally regarded as America's foremost authority on
public health. His books on preventive medicine are used
everywhere as standard textbooks in all schools of public
health. Until his retirement recently from that faculty he had
been head of the famous Harvard School of Public Health for
many years.
"For a long time the officials of the State Board of Health
have worked hard to secure the establishment of such a school.
The necessity for it has been apparent to all responsible health
workers. The chief credit for success in launching the enter-prise
should go to Dr. Charles S. Mangum, Dean of the Uni-versity
Medical School, and to Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, State
Health Officer. Both of these officials have worked hard and
cooperated with each other in overcoming all difficulties in the
way of the establishment of the new department.
"In the opinion of Drs. Mangum and Reynolds the develop-ment
was in part made possible by the success of the course
put on in the school year of 1934 and 1935 at the University
under the auspices of the School of Public Administration.
The first course put on with the teaching aid of the Schools of
Medicine and Engineering of the University and members of
the staff of the State Board of Health comprised a course of
instruction for physicians in public health administration and
extended over a period of twelve weeks. The work was so
excellently done that they received recognition from the
United States Public Health Service which assigned several
of its applicants for post-graduate work to take the second
course.
"We hope and believe that this enterprise under Dr. Rose-nau's
direction will expand into one of the most importanl
North Carolina Board of Health 35
departments of public health education in the entire country.
The need for special training for physicians who want to enter
public health work is great. Efficient public health depart-ments,
National, State and local in modern conditions of living
are an absolute necessity. There are large numbers of young
physicians who with proper post-graduate training could make
excellent health officers.
"The success of the new department at Chapel Hill will go
a long way toward establishing an efficient system of public
health work on a sound basis throughout the entire south-eastern
section of the country."
On February 1 of this year, funds from the Social Security
Act became available to the State Board of Health through the
Public Health Service and the Children's Bureau at Wash-ington.
In addition to adding a division of field training of
public health nursing in connection with the new department of
public health at the State University, a department of Public
Health Dentistry was also established in connection with the
Public Health School at Chapel Hill. This is said to be the
first school of like character in the country. The County
Health Department was enabled through the Social Security
subsidy from Washington to aid all the whole time county
health departments in an expansion of their work. The Division
of Preventive Medicine employed Mrs. J. Henry Highsmith to
begin work on February 20 as an Assistant in the field of
health education. The work of this division, of course, took
on enlarged activities. Plans were immediately set in motion
to establish special county nurses in counties having no whole
time health organization as special demonstration service for
such counties. Plans were also launched to establish Maternity
and Infancy Centers in many sections of the State as demon-stration
Centers, looking toward an eventual lowering of the
infant and maternal death rates in this State.
A sum of $17,500 of Social Security money was appropriated
by the United States Public Health Service for the Division of
Industrial Hygiene. Dr. M. T. Plyler was employed as an
Assistant Medical Director in that division and Mr. C. R.
Matheson as a Medical Technician. Both of these men had been
employed on the staff of the North Carolina Tuberculosis San-atorium.
Up to the first of July more than 150 plants involving
siliceous dust hazards had been surveyed. The entire asbestos
textile industry in the state involving five plants had been
studied, in cooperation with the United States Public Health
Service, a granite cutting establishment investigation made,
and a foundry study inaugurated. There were 525 asbestos
textile workers and 46 granite cutters examined during the
investigatory work. In addition, pre-employment examinations
have been made of approximately 400 workers. All persons
examined have X-ray films made of their chests. During this
work nearly 300 atmospheric dust samples were analyzed.
36 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
During the period, the physician and the engineer attended a
four weeks' special course on Industrial Hygiene given by the
Public Health Service in Washington. The division has in-stalled
a complete office equipment, as well as portable equip-ment
necessary for successful execution of this important
work. The new division is housed in the basement of the State
Board of Health Building.
On April 1 of this year, the State Board of Health established
a service for crippled children. This followed the approval in
late March of the North Carolina Plan for Crippled Children,
prepared by the State Board of Health and submitted to the
United States Children's Bureau. This plan was a prerequisite
of the Children's Bureau toward participation by the State in
the distribution of Social Security appropriations for this pur-pose.
Dr. G. M. Cooper of the Division of Preventive Medicine
was designated as Medical Director of this service, and Mr.
J. T. Barnes was employed by the State Board as State Super-visor
in charge of administrative duties of this service. An ad-visory
committee representative of the Medical, Health, Wel-fare,
and lay interest of the State in the problem of the crip-pled
child was formulated to advise in the execution of this
program. Prior to June 30, public clinics were arranged in
various centers of the State under the direction of the State
Board of Health. Cooperation had been arranged with the
North Carolina Orthopedic Hospital and was being carried
out satisfactorily.
Under the provision of the Children's Bureau regulations,
an advisory committee was secured by the Director of the
Division of Preventive Medicine for the purpose of advising
from time to time on the general program of maternal and
child health service work. This committee held its first meet-ing
on March 27 at the State Board of Health in Raleigh.
Representatives from the following organizations were pres-ent:
State Medical Society, State Dental Society, State Public
Health Officers Association, State Nurses Association, State
Federation of Women's Clubs, State Parent-Teacher Associa-tion,
State Welfare Department, Division of Pediatrics and
Obstetrics of the State Medical Society. On or before June 30,
the enlarged program of all the divisions of the State Board of
Health was well underway.
1937 There was no event of outstanding importance occurring in
the year 1937. Few changes in the staff or the sub-staff of
the State Board of Health have occurred. Following the ex-pansion
of service throughout the year 1936 with the aid of
Social Security funds coming through the United States Chil-dren's
Bureau and the United States Public Health Service at
Washington, a tremendous amount of work was done during
the entire year 1937 in expanding the work of the health
department throughout the State, an increased number of
nurses were employed, additional county health departments
North Carolina Board of Health 37
were established and more intensive efforts were made along
all lines than in any previous year. The new School of Public
Health Administration at the University of North Carolina
under the direction of Dr. Milton J. Rosenau, aided materially
by Doctor Carl V. Reynolds, State Health Officer, and the
faculty of the Medical School of the State University, made
substantial and satisfactory progress. An increasing number
of sanitary engineers, sanitary inspectors, and health officers
from this State and other states in the southeastern regional
territory were trained at Chapel Hill.
An Advisory Committee of leaders in different organizations
in North Carolina, including such organizations as the State
Medical and Dental Societies, Public Health Association, Par-ent-
Teacher organizations, Women's Clubs, and the State
Nurses Association, together with some independent members
of the medical profession in the field of pediatrics and obstet-rics
and orthopedic surgery, was organized and held its first
satisfactory meeting during this year.
Dr. T. C. Worth joined the staff of the Division of Preventive
Medicine on September 21, 1936, and served until April 15,
1937 in the capacity of assistant to Dr. Cooper. Dr. Worth
aided materially in assisting in the organization of Maternity
and Infancy Centers in some forty counties of the State and
contributed a great deal toward strengthening the department
work. Upon Dr. Worth's departure on April 15 to continue his
postgraduate education in Boston, Dr. Roy Norton who had
been with the Division of County Health Work for about a
year and who was formerly health officer of Rocky Mount,
succeeded Dr. Worth. Miss Mabel Patton, a qualified nurse,
joined the staff of the Division of Preventive Medicine as a
consultant nurse representing the Children's Bureau. Dr. W. J.
Hughes, a colored physician whose services for work in the
health education field in the Department of County Health
Work was made possible through contribution by the Rosen-wald
Fund and who joined the staff on January 1, 1936, was
able to achieve substantial progress in his work with the col-ored
population of the State. This was the first time a colored
physician had been admitted to membership on the sub-staff of
the State Board of Health, and the results of work in 1936 and
1937 have fully justified his employment. Dr. R. L. Robinson
joined the sub-staff of the Division of Industrial Hygiene on
April 1, 1937, to succeed Dr. M. T. Plyler of that Division.
Mr. W. H. Richardson, an experienced newspaperman who at
one time was Secretary to Governor Morrison for his four
years in the Governor's office, joined the Administrative Staff
in the department exclusively conducted by the State Health
Officer. Mr. Richardson has been a valuable addition to the
staff and he has succeeded remarkably well in interpreting
technical problems to the lay readers in hundreds of articles in
the daily and weekly press of the State. Dr. G. M. Leiby, who
had been Assistant District Health Officer in the Haywood-
38 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
Jackson-Swain District with headquarters at Bryson City,
joined the sub-staff of the Department of Epidemiology in the
fall of 1936 and after some field experience was sent to the
Hopkins School of Public Health for a year's special studies
in syphilology. Dr. F. S. Fellows of the United States Public
Health Service was loaned to the State Board of Health as a
consultant in the Department of Epidemiology in the field of
venereal disease control. Miss Margaret Thompson, who holds
a master's degree in home economics and nutrition work
from the University of Iowa, joined the sub-staff of the Divi-sion
of Preventive Medicine in October, 1937. On March 15,
1937, Miss Frances R. Pratt, a specially trained nurse under
the auspices of the State Maternal Health League, joined the
sub-staff of the Division of Preventive Medicine. Miss Pratt's
work was financed by an individual contribution from an out-side
agency. Her work has been to organize through the medi-cal
profession and the local health officers on a voluntary
basis a system of contraceptive control work when based on
medical needs. Her work has been very successful and it has
been a welcome and needed addition to the staff work.
On December 16, 1937 following Legislative provision in the
1937 session of the Legislature, $160,000 in bonds were sold for
the purpose of building a new plant for the State Laboratory
on the grounds adjacent to the present State Board of Health
building on Caswell Square, Raleigh. A PWA grant of about
$130,000 additional was received and work on the buildings
was expected to be completed within the year 1938. A farm
of 280 acres on the Raleigh-Cary paved highway was pur-chased
and provision made for farm buildings to care for the
animals used in the production of vaccines and serums.
On December 17, a conference of Public Health Officers
was called at Raleigh for the purpose of discussing and making
decisions concerning various field work jointly affecting the
State and local health departments. This conference was so
successful that it was voted to make it an annual affair.
During the year a central general filing system was estab-lished
and put into effect under the direct supervision of the
State Health Officer and the Administrative Division of the
Board of Health. This is proving to be a very satisfactory and
progressive step.
Malaria was made a reportable disease and a malaria inspec-tion
and control unit was established in the Department of
Epidemiology July 1, 1937. Effective also in 1937 was the new
plan of the Division of Vital Statistics with reference to the
notification of birth registration certificates to parents. Instead
of waiting for a parent to write to the department to inquire if
the birth has been reported and to send 50c for certificate, the
plan was adopted of sending to each parent whose baby's
birth was reported properly a small neat certificate of the
baby's birth. This was through an arrangement with the
Bureau of the Census of the United States Government. Frank-
North Carolina Board of Health 39
ing privileges are allowed in this work. It simply informs par-ents
that their babies' births have been properly recorded and
the idea is through this method to reach many of those parents
whose babies' birth have never been reported and get them to
send in the reports.
There were no changes in the membership of the State
Board of Health this year. All members whose term expired
were re-elected by the State Medical Society or re-appointed
by the Governor, for additional four year terms.
The total expenditures for the State Board of Health during
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1937, were $881,484.01. Of this
amount $287,747.04 was appropriated by the Legislature,
$191,943.85 was by the United States Children's Bureau,
$312,210.42 by the United States Public Health Service, and
finally $89,582.70 from fees received by the Laboratory in
water taxes, etc., and other miscellaneous items.
During 1938, the extension and consolidation of health work in
all departments of the State Board of Health was further
accomplished. This year two outstanding events may be re-corded.
First, the Zachary Smith Reynolds Foundation decided
to donate its income from a fund of about seven million dol-lars
to the State Board of Health to aid in a long time program
of syphilis control. The initial donation from this fund by the
officials of the foundation to Dr. Reynolds was a check of
$100,000. This philanthropy will bring to realization one of
the finest dreams of Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, State Health Officer.
It promises to enable the State Board of Health to accomplish
in the near future some of the objectives that have sometimes
seemed to be long years off. A long time before the Govern-ment
began to realize its responsibility in the prevention of
disease and the preservation of the health of its citizens as a
means of bringing about better social and economic conditions
and the promotion of human happiness, philanthropists such
as Rockefeller lead the way. This gift of the Reynolds Foun-dation,
however, affords the practical means of enabling the
State Board of Health to organize in collaboration with the
various city and county health departments of the State an
effective system through which the venereal diseases may be
eventually controlled in this State.
The other event in the same connection was the passage by
the United States Congress early in 1938 of a bill known as
the LaFollette-Bulwinkle Bill, sponsored and carried through
the lower House of the United States Congress by Represen-tative
A. L. Bulwinkle of Gastonia who has long represented
his district in the lower House of Congress. Through the pro-vision
of this bill the State was able to receive during the
year about $80,000 additional funds for work in syphilis con-trol.
The proceeds of these funds enable the State Board of
Health to attack the ravages of syphilis even in the prenatal
stages by treating syphilitic mothers early enough in preg-
40 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
nancy to prevent the birth of hopelessly syphilitic babies. It
is probably a fact that the benefaction of the Smith Reynolds
Foundation is the largest single gift for this particular purpose
that has ever been made by any public or private organization
in this country. The cause is not only a worthy but a pressing
one. It takes money to control and eliminate such diseases
as yellow fever, typhoid and syphilis.
The School of Public Health Administration of the State
University at Chapel Hill has made such material progress
that it became necessary on the first of September this year
to employ an additional full time professor in that department.
Dr. Roy Norton, who for the preceding fifteen months had been
an assistant in the Division of Preventive Medicine where he
has done excellent work, was persuaded to accept the profes-sorship.
The State Board of Health reluctantly agreed to
Dr. Norton's transfer in view of the fact that the School of
Public Health Administration is of such far reaching impor-tance
that it should have the services of the very best avail-able
talent in the medical profession of North Carolina. Dr.
Norton is admirably equipped for this important work. There
are now five full-time professors in this division of the
University.
Under the persistent work of Dr. Reynolds a stationary
exhibit has been erected in the large halls of the central
building of the State Board of Health at Raleigh, an exhibit
which is an education in itself. It demonstrates the work of
all the departments. Some of the State's foremost artists were
called into the work and the officials of the National Youth
Administration provided a great deal of the actual work at
little cost to the State Board of Health. It would pay any
citizen of North Carolina who is interested in the State's
progress to visit this exhibit sometime during the year.
With the exception of the loss of Dr. Norton, there have
been few staff changes of importance. Dr. R. L. Robinson who
came with the Industrial Hygiene Division as a field worker
in April, resigned and returned to his home to engage in
private practice on the first of August. Mr. C. D. King, Jr., an
Industrial Hygiene man, came with the Board in the Industrial
Hygiene Division on June 15 as an assistant to Mr. M. F.
Trice. Dr. G. M. Leiby returned at the completion of his course
in John Hopkins University and assumed his duties as field
director of the syphilis control program. Dr. Fellows still
remains with the Board and continues to render valuable
assistance.
The officials and employees of the Department of Preventive
Medicine were saddened this year on account of the death
of two veteran nurses. Miss Katharine Livingston died on May
26 and Mrs. Margaret Sloan died on July 12. Both of these
nurses had rendered valuable service in this Division for
many years.
North Carolina Board of Health 41
There were no expiration of terms of service of the mem-bership
of the State Board of Health this year, therefore no
changes in personnel occurred.
In March, 1938, the Board received a report from a com-mittee
previously appointed to study pneumonia. The com-mittee
headed by Dr. H. B. Haywood of Raleigh as chairman,
Dr. W. T. Rainey and G. G. Dixon from the Board, with
Doctors Fred Hanes, C. T. Smith as consultants, and Dr. C. V.
Reynolds ex-officio, made a full report. Arrangements were
made through Dr. Hanes of the Duke Medical faculty for a
special course to train local technicians which was largely
attended.
An important piece of field work which met with wide-spread
appreciation throughout the State this year was a
series of 34 health institutes for teachers and principals of
schools in as many places representing the State. Eight thou-sand
teachers and principals attended these Institutes which
were of a practical character. The Institutes were conducted
under the joint auspices of the State Board of Health, State
Department of Public Instruction and the Extension Service
of the North Carolina State College. The officials who executed
this piece of work were Dr. Roy Norton and Mrs. H. P. Guffy,
nurse, of the State Board of Health, Miss Mary Thomas, nutri-tion
specialist of the State College Extension Service, Mr.
H. A. Perry and Mr. Charles E. Spencer of the State Depart-ment
of Public Instruction. This work was under the general
supervision of Doctors Reynolds and Cooper of the State
Board of Health, and it was carried out under the health edu-cation
division of the Board, and Dr. J. Henry Highsmith of
the State Department of Public Instruction.
The total expenditures for the State Board of Health for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1938, were $1,041,895.98. Of this
amount $353,953.55 was appropriated by the Legislature,
$226,297.57 by the United States Children's Bureau, $337,914.39
by the United States Public Health- Service, and $123,730.47
from fees received by the Laboratory in water taxes, etc., and
other miscellaneous items.
A detailed account of the organization work of each one of
the divisions covering the activities of this biennium will be
found in the pages to follow.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-TREASURER AND
STATE HEALTH OFFICER
July 1, 1936—June 30, 1938
By Carl V. Reynolds, M.D.
Excerpts of the activities as recorded in Minutes:
At the quarterly meeting of the Board, September 24, 1936, the
"Notification of Birth Registration" which was passed on at the last
Board meeting was discussed. Motion was passed "that under Dr. R. T.
Stimpson's, Special Agent, signature, the Board be identified by the
words "North Carolina State Board of Health."
The Secretary discussed requirements of sanitary rules and regu-lations
as pertain to circuses, carnivals, and fairs. Also, according to
request of Mr. R. G. Deyton, Assistant Director of the Budget, a
motion was passed to transmit a letter to Mr. Deyton confirming
specific rules and regulations concerning sanitation of the State Fair.
The Board adopted a resolution to approve the textbook, "Alcohol
and the Habit Forming Drugs" by Grant L. Donnelly, relating to the
effects of alcohol and narcotics on the human system. This is a text-book
to be used in the public schools.
A motion was passed at this meeting that shellfish dealers be
required to meet requirements of the Division of Sanitary Engineer-ing.
Also that oysters of Grade A be washed before shucked.
Other discussions were made regarding activities of the maternity
and infancy program centers as a demonstrative piece of work; a
course in public health dentistry; plan and set-up of mouth health
teaching in the schools of North Carolina, as well as activities of the
various divisions of the State Board of Health.
On January 26, 1937, the Board met in regular quarterly session.
Again, the "Notification of Birth Registration" blanks were discussed
and the Secretary informed the Board that we could not invalidate
the franking privilege, hence it was necessary to insert the wording
"The State Board of Health, Raleigh, North Carolina." Consequently,
motion was adopted to accept the above in lieu of the rule made at
the September 24, 1936 meeting.
At this meeting the Board adopted a regulation that local health
officers may "degrade" any cafe or hotel when inspection shows that
same should be "degraded," and when future inspection showed that
the Grade of said cafe or hotel should be "re-instated," not higher
than the Grade removed, that the Health Officer should be authorized
so to do.
The Secretary discussed the feasibility of withdrawing funds from
county health departments that persisted in not complying with county
contracts, rules and regulations of the State Board of Health. The
general consensus was that this was a very good idea, and that not
only the health officer should be notified but that the Chairman of the
North Carolina Board of Health 43
County Board of Commissioners also should be advised of the with-drawal
of funds when such action was necessary.
A report of the work being done by Dr. G. M. Leiby, who has been
connected with the Board of Health since October 1, 1936, was dis-cussed.
Doctor Leiby is doing full-time work in the venereal disease
program, giving illustrated lectures in clubs, schools, and public
meetings.
Dr. J. C. Knox, Director of the Division of Epidemiology, who is
also Chairman of the Committee on Venereal Disease Control, gave a
full report of the meeting held in Raleigh on December 14, 1936.
He made also a report on the visit of Dr. W. F. Snow of the American
Social Hygiene Association to this State. Motion was passed to send
a copy of the "Suggestions for Changes and Inclusions in Rules and
Regulations for Venereal Disease" to all members of the Board in
order that they might study the changes very carefully and take them
up at the next Board meeting.
Due to the fact that it is almost impossible to secure capable school
dentists for only eight months of the year, the following resolution
was adopted:
"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That no County Health Depart-ment
shall receive a maximum of State or Federal Aid unless said
County provides funds for a Mouth Health Program to be approved
by the Division of Oral Hygiene.
"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That inasmuch as the State Board
of Health is helping to defray the expense of the Mouth Health Pro-grams,
a part of the Program in a County will be done during the
summer, or when schools are closed, this time not to exceed four
weeks of dental service in a twenty weeks' program, and that the
Health Officer of the County will be requested and expected to coop-erate
with this in view. It is understood that the same applies in all
counties and, in such counties as do not have full-time health officers,
that the County Superintendent of Schools will assist in carrying out
our program."
At this meeting, and in • compliance with Sections 7088(a) and
7089(a) of Public Health Laws, and since Hertford County has a
whole-time county health officer, it was deemed wise that Hertford
County should be consolidated for purposes of registration of births
and deaths, and the whole-time health officer of Hertford County be
made registrar of said county. This motion adopted.
At this quarterly meeting a resolution was enacted that the Secre-tary
of the Board confer with the Governor relative to preliminary
organization, with power to act, regarding plans and outlines such as
provided by State and Provincial Health Officers, and also The Disaster
Committee on Sanitary Engineering Section of American Public Health
Association.
The annual meeting of the Board was held at Winston-Salem,
N. C, May 5, 1937. At this time Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, Secretary and
State Health Officer, submitted his annual report to the Board, also a
paper on a special subject: "Syphilis and Its Control in North Caro-lina."
The plan and methods of control set forth in the paper were
unanimously approved by the members of the Society at the Conjoint
Session.
44 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
At this meeting a regulation was passed that "Board Policies for
Allocation of Funds to Counties for Health Work" be referred to the
Executive Committee, with power to act.
The Secretary presented to the Board the advisability of securing
the services of an "Informational Representative." The plan was
approved and orders given that the services of such a publicity agent
be secured.
A motion was passed unanimously to adopt Rules and Regulations
recommended by Doctor W. F. Snow of the American Social Hygiene
Association, for the program on control of syphilis in North Carolina.
The Secretary presented "Regulations Governing the Impounding
and Maintenance of Impounded Waters in North Carolina" with par-ticular
reference to malaria control, together with a letter from the
Attorney General dated February 20, 1937, re: Public Health; control
of preventable diseases; report relating to the authority of the Board
to pass such regulations.
At the May 5, 1937, Board meeting, malaria fever was made a
reportable disease.
A Committee was appointed to study pneumonia.
The Board was informed that Dr. M. T. Plyler, Assistant to
Doctor Easom in the Industrial Hygiene Division, was resigning with-out
prejudice, and that Dr. R. L. Robinson would be appointed to take
his place.
There was a called Executive Committee meeting of the Board held
June 2, 1937. An amendment was presented to request the allocation
of a grant instead of a loan and grant to aid in financing the construc-tion
of a new Central Laboratory Building and a Laboratory Farm for
the State Laboratory of Hygiene. Also the possibility of securing a
farm to be known as the "State Laboratory Farm" was discussed. The
amendment to the Application to the U. S. Federal Emergency Admin-istration
of Public Works was passed unanimously to finance the
construction of a new plant for the State Laboratory of Hygiene. The
Executive Committee also met with the Highway Commission in regard
to a farm location. A motion was unanimously carried that the Chair-man
and two members of the Commission be requested to investigate
the proposal, with power to act.
A regular quarterly meeting of the Board was held October 21,
1937. The Secretary informed the Board that a farm had been bought
on the Cary Highway of about 270 acres for the amount of $8,500,
this to be designated as the "State Laboratory of Hygiene Farm." He
also discussed the bond issue of $160,000 but stated that the resolutions
were not quite ready for approval.
A delegation of the N. C. State Burial Association were present
at this meeting and presented their plea for representation on the
State Board of Embalmers in lieu of the nomination coming from
the N. C. Funeral Directors Association. The Board decided that it was
time to have a policy, not only for this group, but for any other that
may come up from time to time. Hence, a motion was adopted that
the Board, as a matter of policy, get away from accepting the recom-mendations
of one man for appointment to the Embalming Board, or
any Board. And, in lieu of one nomination, that the Secretary ask all
North Carolina Board of Health 45
interested organizations to furnish the State Board of Health with a
list of approved candidates, not to exceed five in number, which
would be suitable to select a nominee from. A motion was enacted
that the Secretary communicate with the North Carolina Funeral
Directors and the North Carolina Burial Association, informing them
of the new policy of the Board and request them to submit names of
five candidates for the State Board of Health's approval. In addition,
the Executive Committee was given authority to select one man for
the next appointment.
After much discussion regarding the short lunch hour allotted to
school children; the alarming increase in degenerative diseases among
the present generation, and the acknowledgment that these degenera-tive
diseases come on, more or less, on account of irregularity in
eating habits, that the school children need much longer time for
lunch period. A motion was adopted that the Secretary take the mat-ter
up with Superintendent Clyde A. Erwin and Dr. J. Henry High-smith,
and report back to the Board.
At this meeting the Board approved the Sanitary Rules Governing
Barbers and Barber Shops and Barber Schools and Colleges in the
State of North Carolina. The Secretary of the Barber Board was so
advised. The State Board of Health assumes no responsibility for the
enforcement of these rules and regulations.
At the October 21, 1937 meeting, Board Policies as to allocations
of funds to the various whole-time County Health Departments were
presented. A motion was adopted to the effect that the changes in
Board policies in appropriating funds for County Aid be made from
a percentage basis to the dollar basis as outlined. Doctor Large wished
to be recorded as opposing the change from percentage basis to dollar
basis for County Aid.
By special request, Franklin County was allocated $1,260 instead
of the present maximum allotment of $1,152, but this appropriation
was to be kept in effect only through this fiscal year.
At this meeting the Board discussed mileage allowance for em-ployees
in local health units and the following mileage allowance was
enacted: "$50.00 per month travel allowance will be paid provided
there is as much as 800 miles travel per month, average for the year.
Travel less than 800 miles per month will be paid for at the rate of
6c per mile."
At the October 21, 1937 meeting, permission was asked to allow
the blind to have a stand within the Health Building for the sale of
soft drinks, etc. Motion was unanimously passed that this would be
an improper use of the Building and declined the request.
Upon petition from the County Board of Commissioners, the whole-time
health officer, and the County Board of Health, motion was made,
and carried unanimously, that Edgecombe County be consolidated as
to a vital statistics registration district, and that the whole-time health
officer of Edgecombe County be made registrar for said county.
At this meeting the following committee was appointed to study
pneumonia:—Dr. Hubert B. Haywood, Chmn.; Dr. W. T. Rainey; Dr.
46 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
G. G. Dixon. Consultants, Dr. Fred Hanes, Prof, of Medicine, Duke
University, Durham; Dr. C. T. Smith, Park View Hospital, Rocky
Mount, and Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, ex-omcio.
A special called meeting of the Board of Health was held December
16, 1937, to consider and adopt proposals of the bonds for revenue
for the construction of the State Laboratory of Hygiene which were
offered for sale by the State Treasurer at 12:00 o'clock noon, Decem-ber
16, 1937. The firm of Lewis & Hall were the successful purchasers.
Amount of bid was $160,017.00; rate of interest 4% %. The resolution
was adopted unanimously.
Also the Secretary read a resolution which was an opinion, dated
June 7, 1937, from the Attorney General, A. A. F. Seawell, authorizing
the State Board of Health to purchase the farm and pay additional
funds for legal services, taxes, etc., and that said purchase could be
paid from the proceeds derived from the sale of State Laboratory
Revenue bonds. Motion was made to adopt the resolution, which was
seconded, and unanimously carried.
At this meeting upon recommendation of the American Dental
Association Vincent's infection was made a reportable disease.
Again, at the December 16, 1937 meeting, the Secretary took up
the matter of travel allowance for employees in local health units.
There being quite a deal of dissatisfaction among the local health
departments, the Board was asked to reconsider the motion passed
at the October 21, 1936 meeting. It was deemed best to rescind the
motion passed at the October meeting and in lieu thereof a new motion
was made as follows:— that the depreciation of cars be made $25.00
per month and with an earned travel on each mile travelled at the
rate of three cents per mile, not to exceed the amount budgeted within
a given year. This motion was seconded and carried.
Also at this meeting a copy of "A Standard Plan for Malaria Con-trol
in North Carolina" was given to each member of the Board who
was asked to read and write in expressing approval or disapproval.
The Secretary gave a brief but confidential statement to the Board
of the gift from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Inc., Winston-
Salem, N. C, through its trustees, of $100,000 to the State of North
Carolina, for the cure and control of syphilis, to be spent during the
current year in specified districts. It is also intended that this Fund be
used over a long period, possibly fifteen years, in order to aid in
eradicating syphilis in North Carolina. It was moved and seconded
that Dr. G. G. Dixon be asked to prepare resolutions of appreciation
and thanks to the Reynolds Foundation on behalf of the N. C. State
Board of Health for this generous gift for syphilis control. Motion
carried unanimously.
The regular quarterly meeting of the State Board of Health was
held Thursday, March 17, 1938. The Secretary discussed with the Board
the cooperation between the State Department of Public Instruction,
the Extension Division of State College, and the State Board of Health
for collaborating in a plan for school health supervision with the
public school teachers of the State; and, reported that school institutes
North Carolina Board of Health 47
are being conducted, beginning March 10th. Teachers are requested
to attend the meeting; round table discussions are conducted by repre-sentatives
of the above named departments, and, that this course of
lectures now being carried on as experiments, it was hoped, eventually
would become a forward step in the study of the prevention of disease
and the preservation of health among the school population.
A delegation from the N. C. Funeral Directors and Embalmers
Association were heard in regard to a member of their Association
being approved for a period of five years to the N. C. Funeral Direc-tors
and Embalmers Association. The committee presented their views
to the Board, stating that there was no ill-feeling entering into the
controversy with the N. C. State Burial Association, (which had been
heard at a previous meeting of the Board) but that the State Funeral
Directors & Embalmers were a member of, and recognized by the
National Association—that the Burial Association was an Association
which pertains to insurance, etc. It was moved and seconded that the
Board consider this matter in executive session, therefore the delega-tion
from the Funeral Directors & Embalmers retired. Motion was
made, seconded, and carried to rescind the original action of the
Board taken October 21, 1937, and in lieu thereof the following motion
was made, seconded, and carried: That the N. C. Funeral Directors and
Embalmers Association suggest to the N. C. State Board of Health, at
their May meeting, ten names from their membership from which the
Board may select two men to be appointed to the Board of Elbalmers
Association, the term of one to expire in 1942 and the other in 1943.
Also motion was made and seconded to endorse the nominees of the
N. C. Funeral Directors & Embalmers Association. After discussion,
the motion tied and the President of the Board was called upon to
cast a deciding ballot which carried the motion.
At this meeting a motion was made that the Secretary make an
effort, in the 1939 General Assembly, to eliminate from the statutes
the provision that the members of the State Board of Examiners and
Embalmers be approved by the N. C. State Board of Health. The
motion was seconded, and carried unanimously.
Dr. John H. Hamilton, Director of the Division of Laboratories,
appeared before the Board and presented plans and specifications for
the laboratory and barn to be erected on the farm of the State Labora-tory
of Hygiene. He went into detail as to the approximate cost of all
the buildings, such as small laboratory; horse barn, water supply, etc.
A resolution was adopted that the Board adopt plans and specifications
as submitted by Doctor Hamilton.
It was at the March 17, 1938, meeting of the Board that the
Secretary presented the agreement or resolution of the "Administra-tive
Program of Venereal Disease Control and Agreement of Partici-pation
for the North Carolina State Board of Health Operating in
Cooperation with Local Health Departments, Through the Utilization
of Funds Made Available by the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation,
Incorporated," and the "Administrative Program of Venereal Disease
Control and Agreement of Participation for the North Carolina State
48 Twenty-Seventh Biennial Report
Board of Health in Cooperation with Local Health Departments."
These resolutions had been previously studied by the Board members,
and after a few changes in both sets of resolutions, a motion was
adopted to approve them with the corrections.
Each member of the Board was presented with a copy of "Rules
and Regulations Governing the Sanitation of Abattoirs" and with a
copy of "Rules and Regulations Governing the Sanitation of Meat
Markets," with the request that they read them carefully and send in
their approval or disapproval of same.
The pneumonia control activities and the technicians trained to
type pneumonia, were discussed at length, and at the suggestion of
Doctor Haywood, Chairman of the Commission for the Study and
Control of Pneumonia, a motion was made that a special bulletin
concerning Pneumonia, and the list of technicians be printed. The
motion was amended by stating that a copy of this bulletin be supplied
to each physician in the State. The motion was adopted.
The quarterly meeting of the Board of Health was held at Pine-hurst,
N. C, May 4, 1938. An addition was made to the Minutes of the
March 17, 1938, meeting, to be inserted following the "Motion made
by Doctor Large that the Board adopt plan sand specifications as
submitted by Doctor Hamilton" as follows: Motion made that the
Executive Committee be authorized to let contract after bids had been
canvassed. The motion was seconded, and carried unanimously.
Motion was made that the "Rules and Regulations Governing the
Sanitation of Abattoirs" and "Rules and Regulations Governing the
Sanitation of Meat Markets" be approved, v/ith the request that Doctor
Reynolds and Mr. Booker look into the feasibility of the rat-proofing
of these establishments. The motion was adopted.
At the May 4, 1938 meeting the Board passed a motion unanimously
to approve a letter to the Trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Founda-tion,
Incorporated, written December 16, 1937. Following is copy:
"To the Trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Inc.:
In the course of human events, we must often stand by, in the face
of a deep but helpless concern, and see suffering, even death, harrass
and strike down our fellow beings. Happily, we have advanced a long
way in the direction of both preventive and curative medicine. But we
are told that "earth hath its price for what earth gives us," meaning,
in this connection, that the remedy is not always within the financial
reach of those who need it and to whom it should be supplied.
Great philanthropies have blazed the way for research, resulting
in the discovery of preventive and curative methods; these philan-thropies
stand out as beacon lights along the road of human endeavor.
From the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Incorporated, there has
just been made available for the war on syphilis in North Carolina the
sum of $100,000, to be administered through the State Board of Health.
It is with sincere appreciation that the Directors of this Board
give voice to our gratitude for this significant benefaction, which we
do at this, a called meeting, held on the 16th day of December, 1937.
With this money, we will be able to realize one of our fondest
dreams. We wish to go on record as expressing not only the thanks
North Carolina Board ov Health 49
of the State Board of Health, but also the gratitude of all the people
of North Carolina—those afflicted with this terrible disease and those
who, although they are free from it, would rid our Commonwealth of
this social insecurity which will remain as long as it is prevalent.
We, the committee named to tender you this expression, heartily
concur in the above as reflecting the sentiment of the Board.
Signed: Dr. G. G. Dixon, Chairman
Dr. S. D. Craig, President
Dr. J. N. Johnson, Vice-President
Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, Sec-Treas.
and State Health Officer."
There was a special called meeting of the Board June 29, 1938, for
the purpose of considering the offer of the United States (Federal
Government through the PWA) to aid by way of grant in financing
the construction of buildings for the State Laboratory of Hygiene.
After detailed information, motion was made, seconded and carried
unanimously that the State Board of Health accept the offer of the
United States to the N. C. State Board of Health to aid by way of
grant in financing the construction of buildings for the State Labora-tory
of Hygiene.
Motion was made, seconded and carried unanimously to appoint
the following members on the "Building Committee": Dr. Hubert B.
Haywood, Chairman; Dr. S. D. Craig, and Dr. H. G. Baity.
The Laboratory of Hygiene's problem was presented to the Board
at the June 29, 1938 meeting as to the question of specimen containers
as to whether or not the Board would continue to distribute them
free, or charge actual cost. The laboratory operates on a budget and
the demand is so great, and there is such a waste in containers, etc.
for specimen, and with the increased volume of business and expendi-tures,
the Laboratory needed an increase in receipts, or an increased
budget. Motion was made, seconded, and carried unanimously, that
beginning July 1, 1938, the State Laboratory of Hygiene charge cost
for all specimen containers.
The Secretary presented to the Board, at this meeting, a concise
summary of the venereal disease control program in the State under
the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Fund to date. Also a report as to
the status of the Federal allotment to be used for venereal disease
control.
INFORMATIONAL SERVICE REPORT
Through the office of the Informational Representative, who
assumed his duties on May 1, 1937, routine news releases, feature
articles and other information are given out for publication, each such
article being sent to every newspaper in North Carolina, except in
cases where the material was worked up at the special request of
some individual newspaper or news-gatherer. Before any article is
released for publication, it is carefully checked for accuracy and to
elimin